Treatment of threads and the like with liquids



Feb. 16, 1937. DREYFUS 2,070,715

TREATMENT OF [THREADS AND THE LIKE WITH LIQUIDS Filed Oct. 18, 1932 I F| s Hfl IIIHIIHNIlIIIII I I HENRY PREV/"US- Patented Feb. 16, 1937 UNITED STATES TREATMENT OF THREADS AND THE LIKE WITH LIQUIDS Henry Dreyfus, London, England Application October 18, 1932, Serial No. 638,266 In Great Britain October 26, 1931 5 Claims.

This invention, which is a continuation in part of the invention described in application S. No. 378,684 filed July 16, 1929, relates to improvements in the treatment of threads and the like with liquids, and is particularly concerned with the application of liquids to filaments or associated filaments in the form of threads or yarns spun by dry spinning methods.

In U. S. Patent No. 1,955,793 processes are described wherein during the production of filaments or like products by dry spinning processes there is applied to the filaments a softening agent, and a stretch is inserted in the softened portion of the filaments. Liquids may also be applied to filaments and the like for other purposes, as, for example, for obtaining a modification of the lustre of the filaments and/ or of other properties of the filaments by applying a liquid to the filaments during an early stage of their drying.

The present invention relates to improved methods of applying such liquids to the filaments during their drying. According to the present invention the filaments are supplied with liquids by causing them to contact with a roller or like rotating device irrigated or fed with the liquid.

Preferably such a roller is freely mounted for rotation so that the filaments themselves by contacting therewith can efiect the rotation, and is made of a comparatively light material, for example aluminium or other light metal, or of phenol-aldehyde synthetic resin or other synthetic resin or plastic material. The roller may be grooved so as to form a guide for the filaments, and such groove may be so proportioned as to control the amount of liquid supplied to the filaments.

The roller or like device may be fed with liquid in any desired manner. For example, the roller may be fed with the liquid by a suitable feed device positioned towards the top of the roller or on the rising side of the roller remote from the filaments, or the roller may dip into a bath suitably proportioned and positioned so as to avoid contact with the filaments. This latter means of applying the liquid coupled with correct adjustment of the groove in the roller as described above enables a very rigid control to be maintained over the amount of liquid supplied to the filaments.

The liquid supplied may be any of the liquids suitable for effecting an alteration in the lustre and/or other properties of the filaments, e. g. water, xylene, toluene, petrol or paraffin, chlorinated compounds e. g. dichlorethylene and ethylene dichloride or animal, vegetable or mineral oils, e. g. olive or castor oil, or may be any liquid adapted, as in U. S. Patent No. 1,955,793, to efiect a softening of the substance of the filaments, for example acetone, mixtures of acetone and alcohol, aqueous acetone, acetic acid, formic acid, lactic acid, acetyl acetone, the ethers and esters and ether-esters of olefine and polyolefine glycols, for example the monoand di-methyl and ethyl ethers and monoand di-acetyl esters of ethylene glycol, methyl glycol mono-acetate, dioxane, and the corresponding compounds of propylene glycol and other glycols, methyl or ethyl lactate, diacetone alcohol or mixtures thereof.

In order to effect the purpose described in U. S. Patent No, 1,955,793 means may be provided for resisting rotation of the rollers or the like supplying the liquid to the filaments, thereby enabling a stretch to be imparted 'to the filaments which is not allowed to pass wholly back to the spinning nozzle. For this purpose the roller may, for example, be provided with a friction device, or with a vane adapted to provide a gas or liquid resistance to the rotation of the roller. For example, a jet of air or other gas may becaused to play upon vanes or like device in such a manner as to tend to set up a rotation in the reverse direction to that brought about by the filaments themselves, or such vanes may be disposed in a substantially closed compartment so that the air or gaseous medium tends to retard the rate of rotation. Alternatively, the vanes may dip into a liquid similarly adapted to resist rotation of the roller. The resistance exerted to the rotation of the roller may, of course, be varied by altering the velocity of the gaseous stream, or

by adjusting the depth to which the vanes dip into the liquid, by using liquids of difierent viscosities or in any other suitable manner.

In the case of rollers or like devices which resist rotation and thereby allow a tension to be applied to the softened portion of the filaments irrespective of any tension operating directly from the spinning nozzle, it is desirable to arrange that the filaments contact with the roller or like device through a sufiicient angle to pre- L vent slip. For example, the roller may be positioned to one side of the spinning cell and the filaments lapped round the roller and carried out of the other side of the cell.

Such resistance to the rotation of the roller may also be provided for any other purpose than that of applying tension in connection with the application of liquids to the filaments during their formation.

The invention is applicable to the manufac- I Cit ' invention;

ture of filaments of all kinds by dry spinning methods, for example filaments of cellulose acetate or other cellulose esters or ethers, for example cellulose formate, cellulose propionate,

' cellulose butyrate, cellulose nitro--acetate or other paratus which may be employed in carrying out the invention, but it is to 'be clearly understood that they are given solely by Way of example and do not limit the invention in any way. While they are shown in connection with downward spinning, yet they may also be employed,

with suitable modification if necessary,in up' ward spinning.

Fig. l is a diagrammatic cross-sectional eleva jtion' of onerjform of apparatus according to ;the

Fig. 2 :is a partial side-view-of the apparatus shown in Fig. lfrom the direction indicated by the'arrow and with the wall of the cell removed;

Fig.3 is an elevation of a roller fitted with a device for restricting. its free rotation;

Fig. 4isa cross-sectional end elevation of the device shown in Fig. 3; r

Fig. '5 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional elevation of an alternative form of apparatus according to the invention;

Fig. -6 is an elevation of afurther type of roller which may be employed;

Fig. '7' is a partial side view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 5.

Figure 1 illustrates adry spinning cell I provided with an inlet 2 and an outlet 3 for the evaporative medium, 'the'outlet 3 communicating through a-valve'4 with a header 5. The spinning solution issupplied through a candle filter 6 to .a jet 1 fromwhicha bundle of filaments 8 is extruded. After their extrusion from the spin- .ningnozzleithe filaments 8 contact with the free- 1y rotating roller 9, which is supplied with suitable liquid by means of a wick l0 dipping in a bath :l'l supported on the bracket 12 .fixed to the side of' the spinning cell. An inlet I 3to the bath ll passes through the side of the cell, and is connected with any suitable means for maintaining the liquid level in the vessel ll constant. ,Aft'er contacting with the roller 9 the bundle of filaments 8 passes round the guide l4 out of the cell and round the draw-roller l5, from which it is fed through a guide 16 to acap spinning apparatus 11. Figure 2 shows a partial side view of theapparatus from the direction shown by the arrow, with the wall of. the cell removed.

Figure 3 shows a type of roller which maybe employed when it is desired to prevent the stretching force applied to the filaments from passing wholly back to the spinning nozzle. A roller I8 is carried on a shaft 19 which is extended at one end and provided with vanes Zli. The vaned portion of the shaft may be wholly or partially submerged in a liquid 2! contained in the vessel 22, or, if desired, a current of gas or vapour may be arranged to'impinge upon it so as to retard therotation imparted to it by the passage of the filaments over the roller. Figure 4 shows an endview of this device. t

, Figure 5 shows another form of apparatus 'whichmay be employed according to the present invention, comprising a, spinning cell 1 "provided 7 with an inlet 2 and-.an outlet 3 for the evaporathe cell through an inlet pipe 25. is supported on a bracket l2 fixed to the side of tive medium, and a candle filter 6 connected with a line jet 21 from which'issue's a bundle of filaments 8. The'filament bundle 8 passes over a roller 23 which may either rotate freely or may be provided with means which tend to prevent its rotation under the force exerted by the passage of the filaments over it, as for example, means of the type illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. The roller 23 dips into a bath of liquid 24 which is fed from a constant head apparatus exterior to The bath 24 the cell. The roller 23 is positioned to one side of the cell in order to increase its angle of contact with the filaments. After passing the roller 23 the bundle of filaments 8 passes round a guide I4, out'of the cell to a draw roller 26, and thence .to'a cap spinning apparatus or any otherjsuit- The roller' 26 may, if desired, be I able device. conical, as is shown in theillustration, so that drawing may be commenced-aterelativelyilow instead'of the'wicksiillustrated in connection with U. S. Patent No, 1,955,793.

The following example illustrates one method 'of carrying out the process of the present invention, but it is to be clearly understood that-the invention is in no way limited thereto- Y A 25% solution of cellulose acetate in a solvent mixture consisting of 951% acetone'and-5% water is spun in an apparatus of the type illustrated in Figure 1. After extrusion the filaments are passed over a roller 9 fixed at a point aboutF'foilr to eight inches from the spinning nozzle and suppliediby. means of a wick I'U with xylene from a bath H. The filaments, which have a reduced lustre, are then passed over a guide l4 and round :the draw roller l5,-and are taken up on the'cap spinning apparatus I1. I

What I claimand desire to secure by Letters Patent -is: v

1. Apparatus for the production of artificial filaments, threadsjyarns and the likeby 'dryspin ning processes, comprising a spinning cell,-a spinning jet in the cell, freely mounted rotatable means positioned to contact with the artificial materials and apply liquids thereto, and means means which is out of contact with the artificial materials. 7

2. Apparatus for the production of artificial filaments, threads, yarns and the like by dry spinning processes, comprising a spinning cell, a spinning jet in the cell, and means for applying liquids to the artificial filaments and the like duringtheir p for supplying liquid to a portion of the rotatable contain liquid, and a ciroumferentially grooved freely mounted roller positioned to take up liquid from said vessel and apply it to the artificial materials.

4. Apparatus for the production of artificial filaments, threads, yarns and the like by dry spinning processes, comprising a spinning cell, a spinning jet in the cell, and freely mounted rotatable means in the cell for applying liquids to the artificial filaments and the like, the rotatable means being provided with means tending to resist rotation and being supplied with liquid at a position on its surface which is out of contact with the artificial materials.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 in which the means tending to resist rotation comprise vanes contacting with a fluid.

HENRY DREYFUS. 

